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Friday, 31 July 2015

Reflections on our 'two years running'

By Brian Morris, Managing Director of Beverley Clifton Morris, winner of Building Services Consultancy of the year (up to 100 employees) 2014 and 2015

As I
made my way down to Grosvenor House, London in February I had no expectations
of winning an Award. My company, BCM, was a finalist in the Building Services
Consultancy of the Year (under 100 employees) category at the CIBSE Awards
2015. As we headed to the hotel reception to greet my colleagues and our
guests, I was determined to enjoy the evening, though had resigned myself to
not being a winner on this occasion.

In
2014, we won the award. It was the first time we had entered and being called
on stage had taken me by surprise. It was a fantastic, overwhelming experience
and it took a good few days before it truly sunk in.

To be
named as a finalist in 2015 and attend as ‘reigning champions’ was an honour.
It recognised that we’d had an incredible 12 months in terms of growth,
business wins, and key strategic developments, and were still ‘worthy
candidates’.

BCM collect their Award for Building Services Consultancy of the Year (up to 100 employees) 2015

Though
I really didn’t think that the judges
would award the trophy to the same company for a second year running. I
honestly thought that it was nice to be a finalist and be there to pass the
torch on to another deserving company. I’d even mentally planned to go and congratulate
the winner.

But the
judges DID the unexpected. BCM was announced as the winner and I took to the
stage for a second year running, to collect a matching trophy that now sits
proudly next to its older sibling in our growing trophy cabinet.

And
how very grateful we are that the judges made said selection, as the response
from our clients and industry peers was phenomenal. Retaining the prestigious
industry award for a second year truly ascertained our place as the best firm
of our kind in the country. It highlights our positive contribution to the
industry and shows how we are leading the way.
Clients and partner organisations recognise this, and combined with our
strategic developments, we have seen further growth this year.

Our
continual investment in training and development played a vital part in the
win, judges praised our e-MPDS programme, run under the auspices of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and how members of our team are
trained as CIBSE Low Carbon Consultants. Our Knowledge Transfer Partnership with
Liverpool John Moores University was also highlighted as innovative good
practice.

Our
double win has helped us with our recruitment also. Being able to say we are a
multi-award winning firm is something that makes us stand out, as does the publicity
and heightened awareness that stems from such wins.

How
will I feel on the train down to the CIBSE Awards 2016, should we be fortunate
enough to make the final cut again? Could the same firm possibly win THREE
years in a row? Fingers crossed!

The 2015 BPA statuettes

The Building Performance Awards 2016 are open for entries until 10 September 2015 with 14 categories recognising the products, projects and people redefining excellence in the built environment.